These embodiments relate to quick release bearings, and more particularly to bearings that can be released quickly and easily to reconfigure, manufacture, maintain, disassemble, sanitize, reassemble a processing conveyor line or for cleaning of the line.
Conveyors are used to transport raw materials for processing and used to transport the packaged goods when processing is complete. Many times the product being transported spills, drips, food particulate sticks, and dust from food collects on the conveyors. The conveyors and related equipment must be cleaned and sanitized to maintain food safety and comply with good food manufacturing practices and cleanliness requirements. When product or lines change many times the conveyors and related processing equipment must be cleaned before the new product is run to prevent contamination of a first product with the second product. In industries where the product being processed or transported is liquid or not a dry ingredient, the lines must be cleaned every so many hours or days dependent upon the industry, materials or state and federal requirements.
Cleaning the lines and processing equipment many times means that the lines or conveyors must be completely disassembled and cleaned with a disinfectant or other cleaner.
Conveyors use bearings to transport the materials on the conveyor belts. Traditionally the bearings are mounted into blocks and the blocks are bolted or welded to a fixed point on the conveyor. A shaft rotates in the bearing blocks and this allows the conveyor to move the product, raw materials and packaged goods.
When the lines need to be maintained, changed or cleaned, one must remove the bearings and bearing blocks and clean any surfaces between the bearing blocks and their attachment points. This requires the use of tools and a mechanic and can be very time consuming to disassemble the bearings and blocks from the conveyor lines. Once the bearings and blocks are disassembled, they must then be cleaned or replaced according to the correct protocol, and then reassembled to get the conveyor line running again. This reassembly also requires tools and a mechanic which can be costly and time consuming. Since the conveyor lines only make money when they are running, any time savings in this maintenance and cleaning process allows more productivity and makes the equipment more productive.
Some times bearings will fail, and the conveyor line will not run or will not run safely. When this occurs the bearing must then be removed and replaced with a new bearing. Again a mechanic and tools are needed and this process can be costly and time consuming.
Traditional bearings and blocks are commonly affixed with bolts or have threaded rods to which are attached nuts to retain the bearings and blocks to the fixture or conveyor line.
It would greatly aid the food processing industry and other industries if a line could be stripped down or a failed bearing could be changed both quickly and easily without the need for a mechanic or tools.
For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for a bearing quick release block.